I <3 photojournalism.

Happy Birthday to me! It's only halfway through the day, but I wanted to share the photos already taken of some spectacular occurrences during this week of celebration. The first one (left) is a picture of me (at work, gah! excuse the sick polo... it was a truck day) with my awesome cake! One of my employees has a neighbor who makes cakes, so she did this one up for my birthday. It was HUGE, delicious, and 100% homemade (buttercream frosting, YUM!). After I put away a hefty slice I made myself walk around the sales floor at a brisk pace for 60 minutes. The only downside to this cake is that I ACTUALLY had an employee ask me if I was turning 18. (I don't think anyone reading my blog *won't* know this, but the 18 was on the cake because of my love for P. Manning). Considering we don't even HIRE people under 18, I was v. confused as to how she got this impression. I must take a seminar in better applicant screening/interview skills.

Last night after work we had (birthday) dinner with Deane's family. Turns out the restaurant (BBQ, YUM!) we went to had trivia night! It has been a while, but I love love love me some trivia. Despite my urging to name our team "Your Mom" (one of my favorite trivia pastimes), we were instead called "Birthday Girl". Even though we did not win the Budweiser Baffler Bonus Question (all correct answers go in a hat, DJ pulls one, that team wins a free pitcher of beer), I complained so loudly about not getting free beer on my birthday that the DJ bought us a pitcher. :) We ended up in a tie for 2nd, which I was proud of -- I knew a lot of answers! We only missed 2 questions in all 5 3-question rounds, but one team had a perfect score (screw them). We still got a 10 dollar gift card! To the right is a pic of Deane and me with my birthday balloons.

After trivia was over (it takes a whiiiiile, so Deane, Ethan (his brother), and I had put away a bit of Miller Light by that point), we decided to go to a new bar called "The Mill" (literally 2 blocks from Ethan's house). We had no idea what to expect -- all I knew was that it was located inside what used to be a flooring showroom. We were happy there was no cover (yet) at the door, and even happier when I saw the RIDICULOUS drink special (see above). I was so blinded by the beer price (which I read as 4 FOR $1), I didn't even notice the sign said COLLEGE NIGHT until I uploaded this photo (this is humorous because the only college within 40 miles of here in a community one). I was expecting a 6 oz. Dixie cup when I forked over my silver (which still would have been a great price), but the cups were actually a full 16 ounces! I hope this goes on regularly at this place, another in a long line of hip hop club/country line dance place/sports bars. Pool tables and ESPN in one room, boot scootin' in the next, and booty shakin' in the third. Lucky for me, the quarter beers were in country town, and the DJ had generated so little interest from the crowd that he played every song I requested immediately (LOTS of Miranda, Big & Rich, Kenny, Brad, etc.). Never have I *ever* wanted Em and Linds there so badly -- it was pure retribution for the Em BDay Jukebox Shutdown. A personal DJ to cater to our every country whim! We responsibly enjoyed our adult beverages and danced in moderation for the majority of the evening. Before parting ways with Ethan, I forced the obligatory double cheek kiss:

Now I am off to enjoy my free ChickFilA combo meal (if you live near a 7-11, you can also enjoy a free slurpee today!), renew my tags, get a pedi, and think about my new year resolutions (I always make them on my birthday instead of January 1). Tonight we are planning a downtown Fernandina pub crawl (if you are a Denison alum, this would be similar to hitting Brew's and the Villa in the same night). If you're in the area, stop by and buy me a beer! Here's hoping everyone enjoys my favorite day of the year :)